High Tech Treatments For Acne The Top Five

Are you one of those people who have tried all kinds of topical and oral medications and have found that their acne does not respond to any of these treatments?  You need not despair.  Here are five high tech treatments that make use of laser technology to effectively treat the most severe cases of acne:

1) Blue Light Therapy - This is perhaps the best-known light therapy for acne.  The skin is exposed to low-intensity blue light that kills Propionibacterium acnes, the bacteria that causes acne.  This is a painless procedure that is usually done in a series of sessions.  Generally, the patient undergoes eight sessions over a four-week period.  Every session takes about 15 minutes.  Some side effects include dryness, swelling and pigment changes on the treated areas.

2) Pulsed Light and Heat Energy Therapy (LHE) - The skin is exposed to pulses of light and heat.  This treatment destroys the P. acnes bacteria and shrinks the sebaceous glands, which reduces oil production.  One of the side effects of this therapy is temporary redness of the treated site.

3) ALA and Light Therapy - The effectiveness of this therapy is still being investigated.  This treatment is a two-step process.  First, a 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) solution is applied to the skin.  ALA increases the skin's sensitivity to light.  The solution is left on the skin for 15 to 60 minutes, depending on the severity of the acne.  Next, the ALA is removed and the skin is treated with light therapy.  Since ALA causes the skin to be more sensitive to light, the patient should use sun protection for 48 hours after treatment.  The side effects include temporary folliculitis (inflammation of hair follicles which is similar to acne) and temporary darkening of the skin.

4) Diode Laser Therapy - This works by destroying sebaceous glands in the dermis, the middle layer of the skin, without harming the layer on the surface.  This treatment could be painful, but topical analgesics can control the pain.  Side effects of this treatment include temporary swelling and redness.

5) Photopneumatic Therapy - This treatment removes oil, dead skin cells and other blockages in the pores through a vacuum suction.  Then, blue and red light therapy is applied to kill P. acnes and reduce inflammation.  A session takes about 15 to 30 minutes.  This treatment does have some side effects.  It can cause pigmentation problems particularly in dark-skinned people.  Temporary redness may occur and on rare occasions, purple spots may appear.  Acne may worsen early in the treatment, but eventually improves when the treatment is continued.

You may discuss these treatment options with your dermatologist who can further explain the benefits and risks of each type of treatment to you.  Laser treatments are pricey and may not be covered by your insurance.  However, if you are willing to pay the price, it may be well worth it.